Speech #1100169609

But this was not an isolated incident or just a mistake. Rather. this comes on the heels of other evacuations in which DHS priorities have been confused. Such as the California fires in which undocumented aliens were afraid to risk immigration checkpoints and died in the flames. And the administrations refusal to suspend immigration enforcement in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. as had been done after September 11. The immigration enforcement mission must be carried out in the proper context. in the face of a natural disaster or mass casualty event. public safety and humanitarian exigencies must take priority. We asked for an immediate briefing to get to the bottom of this. Just hours before they were supposed to come brief us. the Border Patrol suddenly said that they had reassessed the policy in light of last weeks exercise. They told us that CBPs "primary role in such events will be the safeguarding of life. No enforcement role will be undertaken that will in any way impede the safe and orderly evacuation of any member of the south Texas population." Frankly. I would have been more reassured if the CBPs purported change in policy had not been couched in such equivocal terms. Later yesterday. Secretary Chertoff stated that "Priority Number One" will be "the safe evacuation of people who are leaving the danger zone." He said that clear instructions have been given to the Border Patrol "to do nothing to impede a safe and speedy evacuation of a danger zone." So the message seems to have been heard. Rest assured that we will be watching to make sure that the focus truly is on having all hands on deck for humanitarian and evacuation needs. as opposed to diverting DHS resources into illconceivedand dangerousimmigration enforcement. I am very troubled by this episode. It comes on the heels of revelations in recent weeks about medical abuse of immigration detainees. And it comes in the wake of a massive raid in Iowa that disrupted a Department of Labor investigation and resulted in assembly line arrest and prosecution of workers. but not of those who may have abused them. This cascade of controversy leads me to pose one overarching questionwhat kind of agency is DHS that there need to be congressional inquiries on so many of their actions before they take into account basic standards of life. safety. health care. due process. and constitutional rights? I am inserting into the RECORD a letter about the illconceived evacuation from leading national Latino and AsianAmerican civil rights groups: the Asian American Justice Center. the League of United Latin American Citizens. the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Education Fund. the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. and the National Council of La Raza. I am also inserting a fact sheet from the United Food and Commercial Workers about the raids in Iowa. where there are disturbing allegations of unionbusting and labor exploitation on the part of the factory owners. I look forward to working with these groups to make sure that DHS remembers its duty to protect the civil rights of everyone on U.S. soil. regardless of their race. natural origin. or immigration status.